Storm Lake Times Pilot

Beavers fly high in a new sport

Only squad in Iowa ranks 5th nationally


The sport is called STUNT. It’s a fast-growing female sport that incorporates skills derived from cheerleading. Buena Vista University formed its first ever team this school year — the only team in Iowa — and now, well into the season, they are ranked fifth in Division III.

Monday afternoon they returned home from a “game” in St. Louis, Mo. This weekend they head to Springfield, Mo. 

“The first year I was hired, they talked about having a stunt team, but the numbers and the skill levels weren’t there,” says coach Kezia Molinsky. “This year we felt we could do it so we made the jump.”

Jump, literally. Like most sports there are positions. The “flyer” is the girl on the top, who often finds herself 10 feet in the air, boosted by “main base,” “side base” and/or “back base” teammates. 

Then the flyer drops, confident she will land in the arms of the bases.

In STUNT, teams compete in a head-to-head performance over four quarters with each team being awarded points based on its skill execution.

Which is one of the things Molinsky likes best about the sport. “Their skills and athletic ability are more important than their appearance,” she said. They don’t have to smile. They don’t cheer. They usually don’t wear makeup. They can’t wear bows in their hair. And as she says, “All shapes and sizes can participate.”

The women focus on the skills and technical elements of the sport, including partner stunts, team routines, pyramids, basket tosses and more.

STUNT teammates practice in Seibens Fieldhouse.

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Emma Chase of Rock Rapids wears a black eye from when a flyer bumped her the wrong way on her way down. Chase points to bruises on her arms. 

She, along with her teammates lift weights Tuesdays and Thursdays. It’s not a sport for the faint of heart. Before they execute a stunt, they position themselves in silence. They prepare mentally.

“I like how more in depth it is,” says Bailey Houston, a Sioux Central High School graduate.

“She’s an amazing coach,” says team member Mary Woodard from Woodward, of Molinsky. “She’s very welcoming, but she’s serious when she need to be serious.”

Along with her STUNT coaching duties, Molinsky is directors of cheer and dance. She’s in her 28th year of coaching, and came here from San Francisco, California.

Most of her STUNT team members come from a cheerleading background. Others have experience in tumbling or dance.

And their hopes are high they will make it to nationals in Dallas, Texas.

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